or sealing up all the benefits of our Redemption and it is an exhibition of Jesus Christ it is a deed of gift of Christ God goes about giving of Christ to thee and me and all that labour to come worthily Oh! there cannot be a greater feast wherein Christ is the gift that is bestowed Christ is the banquet Christ and all his benefits 5. You must meditate of your own unworthiness O Lord I am not worthy to pick up the crumbs that fall from thy Table I am not worthy to eat my daily bread much less worthy to eat the Sacramental bread Oh the thought of this will make you say with Mephibosheth What am I a dead dog that my Lord and King should invite me to his table What am I dust and ashes sinful wretch that the Lord Jesus should invite me to such an Heavenly banquet 6. You must meditate of your spiritual wants and necessities what grace dost thou want that thou maist get supplied what sin doth bear most sway in thee that thou maist get it more mortified Now the more sensible you are of your spiritual wants the more will your appetite be quickned to this blessed feast 7. You must meditate of the cursed condition of an unworthy receiver an unworthy receiver is a Christ-murderer a soul-murderer a body-murderer he is guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ he eats and drinks down his own damnation he is guilty of bringing diseases For this cause that is for unworthy coming to the Sacrament many are sick and many weak and many die 8. I would have you meditate of the happy condition of those that come worthily to the Sacrament though you do not bring a legal worthiness yet if you have a Gospel-worthiness God will accept of you and the bread that we break shall be the Communion of the Body of Christ and the cup of blessing which we bless shall be the Communion of the Blood of Christ to you the communion of all the blessings of Heaven to thy soul. It shall be the bread of the Lord to you and the bread of life and the cup of Salvation unto you 9. I would have you meditate sometimes of the Sacramental Elements when you see the bread I would have you meditate of the analogy and proportion between bread and the body of Christ you know that bread is the staff of life so is Christ the staff of a Christian bread is not for dead folks but for living folks bread doth not beget life but increaseth and strengthneth life so the Sacrament is not for those that are dead in sin the Sacrament doth not beget Grace but nourish and increase Grace And then I would have you consider the analogy between Wine and the Blood of Christ As Wine refresheth the spirit and cheereth the heart so the Blood of Christ cheereth the soul of every worthy receiver 10. I would have you meditate of the Sacramental actions for all the actions of the Minister at the Sacrament are mystical they all represent Christ Christ is to be read by a spiritual eye in every thing that is done by the Minister the breaking of the bread represents Christs body being broken upon the Cross for our sins and the pouring out the Wine represents how Christs Blood was poured out for us and the giving of the Wine represents how Christ is offered and tendered unto us the taking of the bread and wine represents how thou by faith takes Christ for thy everlasting comfort Every thing in the Sacrament is the object of Meditation and it is a rare thing for a Christian to make the Sacramental Elements to be his Bible when he is at the Sacrament and when he finds his heart dull to look at the Elements the breaking of bread and pouring out of wine which are all spiritual helps to raise up thy heart unto Christ. 11. You must meditate of the Sacramental Promises Christ Jesus hath promised Take eat this is my body which is broken for you do this in remembrance of me that is the Sacramental Promise This is my blood which is shed for you do this in remembrance of me Christ hath promised that whensoever we do take this bread and drink this cup worthily he will convey himself to us Now we must feed upon this promise and come to the Sacrament in the strength of this promise and he hath promised that the cup of blessing shall be the cup of the communion of the blood of Christ and the bread that is broken shall be the communion of the body of Christ Now we must meditate upon these Promises and act faith upon them 12. When all this is done I mean when thou hast received the Sacrament then thou must meditate what retribution to make unto Christ for this you must say as David doth Psal. 116. 7. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me Thou must say to thy soul Oh how ought I to love that Christ that hath loved me and became a curse for me how ought I to be willing to die for that Christ that hath shed his blood for me Oh what singular thing shall I do for that Christ that hath become man that hath left the Throne of Heaven and hath taken my nature and hath given himself for me upon the Cross unto me at the Sacrament what great thing shall I return unto this God! Oh that I were made up all of thankfulness Oh that I could do something worthy of this God! This must be your Meditation and you must study to find out some rare piece of service to do for this Christ that hath done and suffered so much for you and you must never leave meditating till you have found out some singular thing As for example such an enemy hath done me wrong I will requite him in loving him the more I will do him the more offices of love that is to walk worthy of Christ who loved me when I was an enemy and then there is such a deed of charity such a poor Christian his family is undone I will do this service for Christ I will give him some proportionable gift some worthy gift that his soul may bless God for me Again Christ Jesus this day hath given me himself he hath given me his body and blood I will go and be willing to die for him I will say with Thomas Come let us die for him I will be willing to suffer reproach for him if he shall call me These are the Meditations wherein you are to spend your time when you are at the Sacrament Now let me say but thus much What rare Christians would we be if from month to month we did thus spend our Sacramental hours surely great would be the benefit and the fruit of it Thus I have done with the time when we are to meditate 3. I am to speak of the properties and qualities of Divine Meditation in all holy duties it is not so much the
practise of this duty be not always like Martha troubled with this and that business but remember Maries choice who chose the better part in attending upon Christ's Ministry I would have all rich men every day think of that Text Luk. 12. 20. Thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken from thee and what then will become of all thy possessions I confess God doth not require this at the hand of the daily labourer or at the hands of servants that are not masters of their own time and those that are very poor and are not able to set time apart for Meditation But you may remember I gave you a distinction between Ejaculatory Meditation and solemn Meditation a poor man when he is at his work may have a short Ejaculatory Meditation though he hath not time for this set and solemn meditation when he is at his work he may meditate upon the Promises and of Heaven and of Hell and of Death and Iudgment and the vanity of the world I have heard of a godly man was wont to say I thank God I can be in heaven in the midst of the croud of Cheapside I can meditate on the Rest I shall have in the other world 3. The third Direction is this The Sabbath-day especially is a day wherein all sorts of people are to busie themselves in this excellent work of Divine Meditation this is a day wherein the labourer ceaseth from his work the Plowmans yoke is taken off and the labouring-man and the serving man have their rest therefore it concerns all of us to spend some time every Sabbath-day in Meditation to meditate of the work of Creation or Redemption for the Lords-day is so called because Christ rose on that day and Christ set apart that day in memory of his Resurrection in memory of his Redemption therefore this is thy work Oh Christian not only to come to the publick Ordinances not only to pray in thy family but to set some time apart for Divine Meditation and the Lord forgive us this sin that we have omitted this duty so long Oh that I could be Gods instrument that there might be a resurrection of it that you would make conscience of it every Sabbath-day as you make conscience of attending upon publick and private duties so you would put this as one of your Sabbath-day duties for it is the very Quintessence the life and soul of all duty the Sabbath-day is a type of the eternal Sabbath which we shall keep for ever in Heaven and shall not I think of my eternal Sabbath upon the Sabbath shall not I be much in Heaven when I am keeping a rest upon earth that represents my eternal rest in Heaven let us upon our day of rest meditate much upon our eternal rest Oh let us upon our Sabbath-day meditate upon the everlasting Sabbath which we shall keep with God Almighty the Father Son and Holy Ghost for ever in Heaven 4. And last Direction is this That Sacrament-days are especially to be meditating-days to be set apart for this great work of Divine Meditation it is the great end why Christ hath appointed the Sacrament to shew forth the Lords-death till he come and saith Christ Do this in remembrance of me There are two things make us worthy receivers of the Sacrament Preparation before we come and Meditation when we are come and though thy Preparation be never so serious yet if thou dost not act aright in thy Meditation as well as thou hast done in thy Preparation thou maist lose the benefit of the Sacrament Now if any should ask me What are those things you would have us to meditate of when we are come unto the Sacrament or when we are at the Sacrament There are twelve Meditations which ought to take up our Sacramental-time which I call twelve common-place-heads I do not say we can meditate upon all of them at one Sacrament but my design is to give you matter sufficient that you may sometimes meditate of one sometimes of another I will but name them 1. You must meditate of the great and wonderful love of God the Father in giving Christ not only to die for us upon the Cross but in giving him to be our food at the Sacrament there was nothing moved God to give Christ but pure love and great love For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son So how so infinitely so inexpressibly the love of God in bestowing Christ is so great that the Angels desire to look into it And you that are not affected with this love I fear you have little share in it That is enough to take up one Sacrament 2. You are to meditate at the Sacrament not only of the love of the Father in giving of his Son but of the love of Christ in giving himself Ephes. 5. 2. Who loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour As God gave Christ so Christ gave himself as God gave himself as man the Godhead infused this will into the Manhood that Christ willingly laid down his life Ioh. 10. 17 18. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again no man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up this commandment have I received of my Father Now the love of Christ in giving himself to be a curse for us is a love that passeth knowledg yet it is a love that we must study to know It is a riddle but such a riddle as the Apostle himself doth in so many express words declare unto us Ephes. 3. 19. That we may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg Great is the love of Christ which passeth knowledg great is the love of Christ in dying for us and being made sin for us and being made a curse for us 3. We must meditate of the heinousness of sin when we were all fallen in Adam we were ingulphed into such a bottomless abyss of misery that none but the blood of a God could deliver us for there was an infinite breach by sin between God and us and this breach could never be made up but by the blood of God That is a rare meditation at the Sacrament to meditate of the heinousness of sin when you see the bread broken it was sin that caused Christs body to be broken and when you see the wine poured out it was sin caused Christs blood to be poured out it was sin that caused Christ to suffer so much 4. You must meditate of the excellency of this Sacramental feast for the Sacrament is a commemorative Sacrifice it is a commemoration of that blessed Sacrifice that was offered on the Cross for our sins and it is an obsignation
the life of Christ and so to meditate of God as to obey the Commands of God And unless your Meditation get into these three doors it is of no use the understanding to the heart and affections is like the nurse to the child you know the office of the nurse is to prepare meat for the child to chew and cut it that the child may eat it so the work of the understanding is to prepare Divine Truths for the heart and affections that the heart may close with them and eat and digest them but if the nurse should eat the meat she chews and give nothing to the child the child may starve for all the nurse so though the understanding doth chew never such glorious Truths if it doth not convey them to the heart and affections it is of no use there is many a man spends his time in Meditation as a Butterflye feeds upon the flower sucks the flower not to be fruitful and useful but meerly to paint her wings so he studies and ponders of Divine things meerly to paint his wings to get curious language of God and Christ and curious notions of sin and the promises but because he doth not convey them into his heart and affections he is never the holier never the better for his Meditation but true Meditation is this when we so meditate of Christ as to find vertue coming out of Christ to cure the bloody issue of our sins to meditate of him so as to be transformed into him when we so meditate of God as to love God and desire after God and rejoice in God and live according to the Commands of God when we so meditate of sin as to hate and abhor it and turn from it so meditate of the promises as to close with them when by frequent musing of God there is a holy fire of Divine love kindled towards God as it is in Psal. 104. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet When we so meditate on God as it gets into our affections to sweeten the thoughts of God unto our souls then the meditation of God is sweet this is the reason why many times an honest plain-hearted Christian finds more benefit by the practise of this Divine Meditation than a great Scholar for a great Scholar will meditate to find out some glorious expressions some curious notions As a man that reads a book meerly for the fine language and a man that hears a Sermon meerly to feast his ears because of the eloquence of the Sermon and goes home never the holier never the better but now the honest plain-hearted Christian meditates of the things of Heaven that he may be made the more heavenly he meditates of God that he may love and fear him more he meditates of Christ that he may prize him more he meditates of sin that he may hate it more and of the Promises that he may love them more though he cannot find out these curious notions that a Scholar doth yet his heart is more affected many times than the heart of a greater Scholar if he be not godly Divine Meditation is of no use unless it be practical and affectionative 4. Property is this Divine Meditation must be particular and applicative for generals will not work at all the Philosopher saith that fire in general doth not burn it is this fire that burns a sword in general doth not cut it is this sword cuts so confused meditation of heaven God and Christ will do you little good but if ever you would get good by the practise of meditation you must come down to particulars and you must so meditate of Christ as to apply Christ to thy soul and so meditate of Heaven as to apply Heaven to thy soul this is mine this is my portion Christ is my portion he is Iehovah my righteousness Nam quid est Deus si non est meus What am I the better for Heaven or for Christ if they be not mine what comfort can I have to meditate of Christ if I have no interest in him if I cannot apply him what comfort can I have to meditate of Heaven if I have no right to Heaven I meditate of a place that doth not belong to me Therefore the greatest part of Meditation is Application you must apply the things you meditate of to your own particular and that man that in his meditation of Christ can say with Thomas My God and my Lord is of all men the happiest blessed is that man that can say my God and my Lord. There are four things that work mightily upon the heart Necessity and Excellency Propriety and Perpetuity the heart is much taken with things that are excellent especially when they are necessary especially if I have a propriety in them and this propriety be perpetual and thrice happy is that man that can say all these four concerning God and Christ that when he meditates of the excellency of God and Christ and Heaven and the necessity of enjoying them when he can add a propriety all these are mine God is my God Christ is my righteousness and Heaven is my inheritance and my inheritance for ever Oh this man is in Heaven already that can make this application upon Scripture-grounds And therefore be sure in the practise of this duty your meditation be applicative though a medicine be never so soveraign it doth you no good unless you apply it the water in the fountain will never do you good unless it be brought to you by a cistern conveyed to you some way or other so the meditation of God Christ and Heaven will little avail unless you make application and this is especially to be used at the Sacrament the work you are to do at the Sacrament is meditation and in all Sacramental meditation you must be sure to join application when you meditate of the breaking of the bread of the body of Christ that was broken for you you must apply it it was broken for me and when you see the wine poured out you must meditate of the blood of Christ that was poured out upon the Cross you must make application by faith that is the great act of faith This blood was poured out for me this body was broken for me and now God offers Christ God gives Christ to me there is the sweetness in the Sacrament The fifth Property Divine Meditation must be calm and quiet there are many well affected Christians that in the practise of this duty will force themselves too much this is proper to young beginners that when they meditate of their sins will force themselves into tears and when they meditate of Christ will force themselves into joy it is ordinary when young Christians meditate because they cannot find their affections wrought upon they will use violence to their affections and force out tears or joy according to the nature of the thing they meditate upon just like the man Act. 3. 7 8. the lame man that was
imputation but of Original sin by propagation thou wert conceived in sin and thou art born in iniquity thou hast a nature which thou carriest about with thee which makes thee prone to all sin and indisposed to all good thou hast a nature that defiles all thy holy duties and thou art guilty of many actual transgressions of heart-sins of lip-sins of life-sins of sins of omission how many good duties have I omitted of sins of commission how many evil actions have I committed and thou art guilty of sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel then would I reckon up soms sins and then thou art guilty of fleshly and outward and visible sins and thou art especially Oh my soul guilty of inward spiritual and invisible sins of heart-adultery though not outward adultery of heart-murder of heart-idolatry of pride vain-glory hypocrisie self-seeking There is the second head the division of sin 3. I would come to the third head and consider the original and cause of sin and I would say thus Oh my soul surely God is not the author of all these sins that I am guilty of it is the greatest blasphemy in the world to charge God with our sins God cannot be the author of that of which he is the punisher Iudas did not betray Christ because it was determined he should do it but it was out of covetousness and the brethren of Iudah did not fell Ioseph because it was decreed they should do it but out of envy Oh! it is my wicked heart that is the root of all my sin it is not the Devil that is the original of my sin for the Devil cannot force me to sin the Devil perswades me to sin tempts me to sin but he cannot compel me to sin sin came into the world by Adam's disobedience Rom. 5. 12. By one man sin came into the world And my wicked heart is the root of all my sin Oh my soul why shouldest not thou abhor thy self because of thy sin 4. I would have you consider the cursed fruits and effects of sin and I would say thus Oh my soul be thou humbled for thy sins Oh lye in the dust because of thy sin for it is sin that is the cause of all evil both Temporal Spiritual and Eternal sin brings spiritual temporal and eternal curses it was sin put devilishness into the Angels and made the Angels in Heaven to become Devils in Hell it was sin that brought the flood upon the old world it was sin that turned Heaven into Hell and made God rain down fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorah it is sin that kindles the fire in Hell the fire of Hell would go out were it not for sin sin is worse than Hell because it is the cause of Hell and I would meditate thus Surely sin is more opposite to God than Hell for God is the author of Hell God made Hell for sinners but God is not the author of sin and therefore Oh my soul do thou hate sin more than affliction nay more than Hell it self 5. I would proceed to consider the adjuncts and properties of sin in general and of my sin in particular and I would thus meditate upon this common-place head Oh that the Lord would work in my heart a further abhorrency of all sin Oh that sin might be more loathed for sin is of a defiling nature of a destructive nature sin is of a defiling nature it defiles my person it defiles my Sacraments my Prayers the Sermons I hear it makes me like a dog like a swine nay it makes me like a Devil I have chosen twelve and one of you is a Devil Sin makes you nasty and loathsome in Gods sight sin defiles your civil actions The plowing of a wicked man is sin sin defiles the land in which you live Ezek. 14. The land is defiled by your idolatry sin defiles the whole Creation Oh my soul wilt thou make a sport of that which defiles the whole Creation And then I would say sin is of a destructive nature it destroys the body it destroys the soul for evermore And then I would consider the properties of my sin in particular I would say thus Oh my soul how great is thy guilt I have sinned not only against God but against light my sins have bloody aggravations I have sinned against the heart-blood-mercy of Jesus Christ. I have sinned against many Sacrament-vows that I have made I have sinned against knowledg against conscience 6. I would consider the opposites to the thing I meditate on what is opposite to sin why Grace Then I would meditate of the excellency of Grace and I would say Oh my soul how beautiful is that soul that is endued with Grace sin makes me like a Devil sin stamps the Devils image upon my soul but Grace makes me Gods picture Grace is the portraiture of the Holy Ghost Grace ennobles the soul it legitimates the soul it elevates the soul. Oh the beauty of a soul enriched with grace Oh the Heavenly excellency of a gracious soul Now by how much Grace is more excellent by so much is sin more odious for sin destroys Grace 7. I would consider the comparisons to which sin is compared and I would say thus Oh my soul wilt thou not abhor sin sin is compared to bruises sores putrefaction a leprosie a plague the excrements of a man And it is called in Scripture an abominable thing it is compared to the filth under a mans nails and to the putrefactions of sores and the dung the excrements of man and wilt thou love that which is loathsom to God shall sin be so abominable in the sight of God and shall it not be so in my sight 8. I would consider the titles that are given to sin and I would say thus Sin is called a robbing of God Mal. 3. shall I rob God of his glory by my sin Oh! God forbid Sin is called an injury to God shall I injure my Saviour by my sins It is called a striking thorough the name of God so the Hebrew word signifies which we translate to swear it is a Deicidium the killing the murdering of God and Oh my soul wilt thou do as much as in thee lies to murder thy Saviour to crucifie Christ afresh by thy sins 9. I would consider all that the Scripture saith concerning sin I would consider the wrath of God against sin I would consider all the Threatnings of God against sin and especially I would study what Christ suffered to free us from sin and I would behold the odiousness of sin upon Christ's Cross sin made Christ sweat drops of blood and shall it not make me shed tears Sin made Christ cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and shall it not make me cry out Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin And then I would consider what hope there is of pardon through Christ and what promises there are made